Over the past 300 years, the autocracy in Russia has been directly associated with the Romanov dynasty. They managed to gain a foothold on the throne in the time of Troubles. The sudden appearance in the political horizon of the new dynasty is the largest event in the life of any state. Usually it is accompanied by a coup or revolution, but in any case, a change of power entails the removal of the old ruling elite by force.
Background
In Russia, the emergence of a new dynasty was due to the fact that the branch of the Rurikovich was interrupted with the death of the descendants of Ivan IV the Terrible. This state of affairs in the country generated not only the deepest political, but also social crisis. Ultimately, this led to the fact that foreigners began to interfere in the affairs of the state.
It should be noted that never before in the history of Russia have rulers changed so often, bringing new dynasties with them, as after the death of Tsar Ivan the Terrible. In those days, not only representatives of the elite, but also other social strata claimed the throne. Foreigners also tried to intervene in the power struggle.
One after another, the descendants of the Rurikovich in the person of Vasily Shuisky (1606-1610) appeared on the throne, representatives of the untitled boyars led by Boris Godunov (1597-1605), there were altogether impostors - False Dmitry I (1605-1606) and False Dmitry II (1607- 1610). But none of them managed to stay in power for long. This continued until 1613, when the Russian tsars of the Romanov dynasty came.
Origin
It should be noted right away that this genus as such went from the Zakharyevs. And the Romanovs are not quite a true surname. It all started with the fact that Patriarch Filaret, i.e., Zakharyev Fedor Nikolaevich, decided to change his last name. Guided by the fact that his father was Nikita Romanovich, and his grandfather was Roman Yuryevich, he came up with the name "Romanov". Thus, the genus received a new name, used in our time.
The Tsar dynasty of the Romanovs (reign of 1613-1917) began with Mikhail Fedorovich. After him, Alexei Mikhailovich ascended the throne, nicknamed among the people "Silent." Next was Fedor Alekseevich. Then the rules were Tsarina Sofya Alekseevna and Ivan V Alekseevich.
During the reign of Peter I - in 1721 - the state finally reorganized and became the Russian Empire. The kings have sunk into oblivion. Now the sovereign has become emperor. In total, the Romanovs gave Russia 19 rulers. Among them - 5 women. Here is a table that clearly shows the entire Romanov dynasty, the years of rule and titles.
As mentioned above, sometimes women also occupied the Russian throne. But the government of Paul I passed a law stating that from now on only the direct male heir can bear the title of emperor. Since then, no woman has ever ascended the throne.
The Romanov dynasty, whose reign was not always in calm times, got its official coat of arms back in 1856. It depicts a vulture holding a tarch and a golden sword. The edges of the coat of arms are decorated with eight severed heads of lions.
The last Emperor
In 1917, the Bolsheviks seized power in the country, who overthrew the country's government. Emperor Nicholas II was the last of the Romanov dynasty. He was given the nickname "Bloody" for the fact that during the two revolutions of 1905 and 1917, thousands were killed on his orders.
Historians believe that the last emperor was a gentle ruler, so he made several unforgivable mistakes in both domestic and foreign policy. It was they who led to the situation in the country escalating to the limit. Failures in the Japanese and then World War I greatly undermined the authority of the emperor and the entire royal family.
In 1918, on the night of July 17, the imperial family, which included, in addition to the emperor and his wife, five more children, was shot by the Bolsheviks. At the same time, the only heir to the Russian throne, the young son of Nikolai, Alexei, died.
Nowadays
The Romanovs are an ancient noble family that gave Russia a great dynasty of kings and then emperors. They ruled the state for a little over three hundred years, beginning in the sixteenth century. The Romanov dynasty, whose reign ended when the Bolsheviks came to power, was interrupted, but several branches of this kind still exist. All of them live abroad. About 200 of them have different titles, but not one can take the Russian throne, even in the case of restoration of the monarchy.